ABSTRACT
Evidence for differences in speech recognition performance related to the direction of the speaker is reviewed. First, the ear-of-entry versus spatial-direction characterization of laterality effects observed in dichotic listening situations is discussed. Next, experiments are described that (1) provide a description of the spatial differences in terms of two components, i.e., a decreasing anterior-posterior gradient and lateral asymmetry; and (2) show that these effects are affected by both the posture of the listener and the orientation of his voluntary attention. Last, implications of these findings for a theory of the determinants of the auditory spatial effects are briefly examined.
